Kite.



F. OWENS.

KITE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 20, I918- Patented N (iv. 26, @918. J

WITNESSES A TTOR/VEYS UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE.

FRANK OWENS, OF SHREWSBURY, NEW JERSEY. I

Specification of-Letters Patent. I Patented NOV. 26, 1918.

Application filed September 20, 1918. Serial No. 254,938.

against sudden sidewise movement especially when flying the kite in apuffy wind. Another object is to permlt of hanging the kite straight forflying in line with the wind or sidewise for flying 1n line out of thewind thus permitting flying the kite say over a low building adjacent ahigh buildlng or other structure. Another object is to permit ofconveniently knocking down parts of the kite for handy shipment thereofto prevent such parts from becoming accidentally detached from the mainbody and lost.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described andthen specifically pointed out and in the claims. K g

'A practical embodiment of theinvention is represented in theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar" characters of reference ind1- cate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the kite on the line 1-1 of Fig.2; v v

Fig. 2 is a rear face view of the same Fig. 3 is a top edge view of thesame;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of part of one of the fins in engagement"with the backbone,

part of the latter being shown ln'sectlon;

Fig. 5 is a front face view of part of the kite with one of the fins inknockdown or folded position.

The body 10* of the kite is attached at its middle to. the upper portionof a backbone 11,, and the body 10 comprises spaced crossbars 12 and 13carrying a covering 1 1 of cloth, paper or other suitable fabricmaterial. The crossbars 12 and 13 are riveted,

screwed or otherwise attached to. the backbone ll'and are reinforced bybraces 15 secured to the backbone 11 a distance from the body 10 and.extending obliquely. outward and upward toconnect by suitable fasteningdevices with the crossbars 12 and 13, as

plainly indicated in Fig. 2.

A bridle 20 has its ends 21 attached to the braces 15 near the upperends thereof, and the said bridle 20 is engaged by a slip knot 22 formedon the flying cord 23 adjustably secured by a knot 24 to the backbone 11intermediate the lowe1'-'edge of the 'body 10 and the oint of attachingthe braces 15 to the back one 11 as plalnly indicated 'in Figs. 1 and 2.The terminal of the flying cord 23 is provided with the usual ring 125"to which the kite cord 126 is secured. On the lower portion of thebackbone 11 is at-- tached a tail plane 25 disposed in the plane of thebody 10 and formed of a crossbar 26' and a covering 27 of cloth, paperor other suitable material. The crossbar 26 is attached at its middle tothe body 11, and the covering 27 is preferably in the form of twotriangles joined at their bases and coinciding with the backbone 11. Theupper tri-, angle has its apex attached to the backbone adJacent thepoint of connection of the braces 15 to the backbone 11 while thelowertriangle is attached at'its apex to the backbone 11 near the lower endthereof. The height. of the upper triangle of the covering 27 isconsiderably in excess of that of the lower triangle, as will be readilyunderstood byreference to Fig. 2.

The backbone 11 is made of wood or other suitable'flexible materialcapable of being bent forwardly, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to givethe desired curvature to the backbone 11 use is made of a cord 30 having7 i a slip knot connection 31 with the upper portion of the backbone 11and havin g its lower end engaging a notch 32 in the lower end of thebackbone 11, the lower end of the-cord 30 terminating in a knot 33.toprevent this end of the cord from leaving the notch 32. By moving theslip knot 31 farther out or farther in on the backbone 11 more or lesscurvature can be given to the backbone 11.

The kite is provided with head fin 40 "and a tail fin 41, of which thehead fin 40 is attached to the backbone 11 in front of the body 10 andthe tail fin 4:1 is attached to the-backbone 11 in front of the tailplane 25. The head fin 40 comprises a bar 42 of wood or other suitablematerial bent into anapproximately bow shape and to this bar is-secureda covering 43 of cloth, paper or, other suitable material. The ends 44and Q msaove tail fin 41 is constructed similar to the head fin 40 andcomprises a bar 50 and a covering 51, the lower end 52 of the barengaging a straight aperture in the backbone 11 and the upperend 53engaging a slanting aperture in the backbone 11. It will be noticed thatby the arrangement described the opposite edges of the two fins 40,and41 are slanting in opposite directions while their outer edges areapproximately at right angles to the backbone 11. The rear or free edgesof the coverings 43 and 51 are approximately parallel with the backbone11 but are slightly spaced therefrom to allow air to pass from one sideof a fin to the other side thereof at the corresponding body ends of thebraces 15,' and or the tail plane 25. The ends 44. and 45 of thevhead'fin 40 and theends 52 and 53 of the tail fin 41 are preferablytapering to readily wedge into the corresponding apertures in thebackbone 11. For shipping or storing purposes the fins 40 and 41 aredisconnected from the backbone 11 by disengaging the ends 44, 45 and 52,53 from the apertures in the backbone 11. In order to hold the fins 40and 41, however, from being lost when detached from the backbone use ismade of strings and 61 attached at their ends to the ends 44, 45 and 52,53 adjacent the coverings 43 and 51, and the said strings pass throughthe-corresponding apertures engaged by the said ends to hold the finsattached to the kite when their ends are disconnected from the shown inFig. 5. By reference to Fig. 4 it will be noticed that the strings alsoserve to assist in wedging the ends 44, 45 and 52, 53 in place in theircorresponding apertures.

It will be noticed that when the kite is flying the body 10 is capableof curving-forward under pressure of the wind exerted against the bodyheld on the bridle 20. Thus the body 10 tends to hold the wind to insuresteady flying of the kite. The lower corners of the body 10 tend to bend'rearward under heavy pressure of the wind owing to the angularposition-of the upper by this bending of the lower corners of the body10 the kite can readily move sidewise'in case the direction of the windchanges. By providing the kite with the body 10 the tail 25 and the fins40 and 41, the kite is not liable to take headers especially as theupper fin 40 is intended to steady the kite while the lower backbone, as

' fins tend to hold the kite against sudden pufi'y wind. By the mannerdein a light or a sidewise movement in a constructing the kite inscribed it can readily fly strong wind.

Providing a slip knot connection 22 between the bridle 20 and the flyingcord 23 allows hanging the kite straight or sidewise for flying in linewith the wind or out of line with the wind. By this arrangement the kitemay be flown between a high and a low building with the kite set to flyaway from the high building. It is understood that setting the slip knotsidewise beyond the middle of the bridle 20. pulls this side of the body10 more forwardly into the wind thereby forcing the kite in the direction of this side.

It will be noticed that the fins 40 and 41 tend to exert sidewisepressure on the front and rear ends of the kite body to cause the kiteto readily follow a change in the direction of the wind by exertingpressure alike 1. A kite, comprising a body of an approximatelyrectangular shape, a backbone on the upper portion of which the sa1dbody is fastened, a tail plane attached to the lower portion of the saidbackbone and extending in the plane of the said body, the said tailplane being spaced from the sa1d body, a. head fin attached to thebackbone in front of the said body and at a right angle thereto, and atail fin attached to the backbone in. front of the said tail plane at aright angle thereto.

2. A kite, comprising a body of an approximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a tailplane attached to the lower portion of the said backbone and extendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid body, a head fin attached to the backbone in front of thesaid bodyand at a right angle thereto and a tail fin attached to the backbone infront of the said tail plane .at a right angle thereto, and meansbending the backbone forwardly between its ends.

3. A kite, comprising a body of an approximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a tailplane attached to the lower portion of the said backbone and ex tendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid body, a head fin attached to the backbone in front of the said bodyand at a right angle thereto and a tail fin attached to the backbone infront of the said tail plane at a right angle thereto, and a flexibleconnection at the rear end of the backbone and attached at one end tothe lower end thereof, the other end of the said flexible connectionhaving an' adjustable connection with the upper portion of the backboneto give a desired forward bend to the said backbone.

4. A kite, comprising a body of an approximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a tailplane attached to the lower portion of the said backbone and extendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid bodyand being in the form of two triangles having a common base andhaving their common medial line coinciding with the said backbone, ahead fin attached to the backbone in front of the said body and at aright angle thereto and a tail fin attached to the backbone in front ofthe said tail plane and at a right angle thereto.

5. A kite, comprising a body of an approximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a taillane attached to the lower portion of the said back bone and extendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid body, a head fin attached to the backbone inlfront of the said bodyand at a right angle thereto and a tail fin attached to the backbone infront of the said tail plane and at a right angle thereto, each of thesaid fins having a fiat body of a fabric material and'a bowshaped memberto which the outer edge of the said fin bodv is attached, the ends ofthe said bow-shaped member being pointed and the said backbone havingapertures engaged by the said pointed ends of the bow-shaped member.

6. A kite, comprising a body of an ap proximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a tailplane attached to the lower portion of the said backbone and extendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid body, a head fin attached to the backbone in front of the said bodyand at a right angle thereto and a tail fin attached to the backbone infront of the said tail plane and at a right angle thereto, each of thesaid fins having a fiat body of a fabric material and a bowshaped memberto which the outer edge of the said fin body is attached, the ends ofthe said bow-shaped member being pointed and the said backbone havingapertures engaged by the said pivoted ends of the bow-shaped member, thefree edge of the fin body being spaced from and approximately parallelwith the backbone.

7. A kite, comprising a body of an approximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a tailplane attached to the lower portion of the said backbone and extendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid body, a head fin attached to the backbone in front of the said bodyand at a right angle thereto, and'a tail fin attached to the backbone infront of the said tail plane and at a right angle thereto, the said finsbeing detachably mounted on the said backbone, and means connected withthe said backbone and the said fins to allow of removing the fins fromthe backbone and to hold the fins in knockdown position on the kite.

8. A kite, comprising a body of an approximately rectangular shape, abackbone on the upper portion of which the said body is fastened, a tailplane attached to the lower portion of the said backbone and extendingin the plane of the said body, the said tail plane being spaced from thesaid body, a head fin attached to the backbone in front of the said bodyand at a right angle thereto and a tail fin attached to the backbone infront of the said tail plane and at a right angle thereto, each of thesaid fins having a fiatbody of a fabric material and a bow-shaped memberto which the outer edge of the said fin body is attached, the ends ofthe said bow-shaped member being pointed and the said backbone havingapertures' engaged by the said pointed ends of the bow-shaped member,the outer end portion of each bow-shaped member being approximately at aright angle to the back- .bone and the inner end portion being inclinedto the backbone.

FRANK OWENS.

